12 Small Kitchen Design Ideas to Maximize Your Space

29 Mar 12 Small Kitchen Design Ideas to Maximize Your Space

Small kitchens present unique challenges when designing them. You want to maximize its utility without it feeling cluttered so the claustrophobic can feel comfortable in it. These 12 small kitchen design ideas will help you make the most of your small space while also feeling comfortable in your own kitchen.

Small Islands

Islands are traditionally associated with large kitchens with space for congregating and need space to be filled. However, one small kitchen design idea is to have a small island that creates an additional workspace for your kitchen. Small kitchens usually have less usable counter space for preparing meals, so adding a small island can help your kitchen feel larger because you have more counter space to work with. If you are looking for ideas for a small kitchen remodel, including a small island can help you maximize your space.

Movable Islands

Having a built-in island can be expensive, though, and let’s face it, your budget is the most critical factor in your kitchen redesign. If you are looking for small kitchen ideas on a budget but could use additional counter space, a moveable island or small table might be the best option for you. If you try it in one place and it doesn’t work, you can always move it somewhere else. You can also move it around depending on where it’s most needed in your kitchen.

Islands with Storage Space

The biggest problem with a small kitchen is finding a place to put everything. In addition to giving you additional workspace, an island can provide your small kitchen with extra storage. Having an island that incorporates drawers or cabinets can help you make the most of your space and prevent clutter. You can even keep your trash and recycling under the island to preserve your kitchen’s aesthetic.

Corner Cabinets

Corners are the most significant space wasters in kitchens. They take up so much space, and if you only use conventional cabinets, it’s impossible to use that valuable real estate. Before jumping into your small kitchen remodel, one idea to consider is corner cabinets. They use those tricky corner spaces and use creative solutions such as lazy susans or pull-out drawers to make everything easily accessible.

Open Storage Space

When designing a small kitchen, you need to optimize your space. A popular small kitchen storage idea is to take your wall space and add open-faced shelves. They add additional space and can add to your kitchen’s aesthetic. You can also hang pots and pans on the wall to add space. Hanging pots and pans is a popular design choice in many kitchen styles and helps free up your cabinets to store other items.

Organizers

Organization is the most critical part of maintaining a small kitchen. To maximize your small kitchen’s storage, you can use drawer organizers to reduce clutter, give everything a specific place, and ensure everything is easy to find. You’ll feel less stressed trying to find everything and won’t think about how small your kitchen is. If you aren’t thinking about it, your kitchen will feel larger.

Large Tiles

Don’t overlook using large tiles for your backsplash and floor when going through small kitchen remodel ideas. You may think that large tiles don’t work in small kitchens, and you’d be wrong. Large tiles help create the illusion of more space as opposed to small tiles, which makes a kitchen feel more confined. Rectangular, stretched tiles are especially good at making a room feel larger. They make the room feel more stretched out, so instead of feeling on top of everything, you feel like there is additional space in the room.

Glass Doors and Mirrors

Another small kitchen design idea to make a space feel larger is to use reflective and transparent surfaces. Using glass doors for your cabinets makes the room feel like it extends to the back of the cabinet rather than stopping at the door. Mirrors also create the illusion of more space by reflecting and extending the room rather than stopping it at the wall. Your kitchen will feel broader and deeper, and you’ll have an easier time stretching out in your kitchen.

Lighting

Optimizing your lighting is another key small kitchen design idea that can make your kitchen feel larger and more comfortable. The best way to make a small kitchen feel larger through lighting is with natural light, but other tricks can be helpful such as having one large light in the middle of a room. Having many small lights can make a room feel smaller and tighter than it is. Undercabinet lights are helpful additions to small kitchens to reduce shadows and ensure you have light for your tasks.

Light Colors

If you are looking for small kitchen ideas on a budget, the best place to start is with a light color scheme. Light colors open up a room, making it appear lighter and larger than it actually is. Lighter colors reflect light better than darker tones, so light has an easier time bouncing around and contributing to the lighter, more spacious effect.

Inside Door Storage

Another creative small kitchen storage idea is to have hanging shelves inside the cabinet and pantry doors. The inside of doors are great places to store spice racks that can easily take up more space than they actually require in a cabinet. They help give everything a specific place and maximize your kitchen space like drawer organizers.

Tall Cabinets

Another creative small kitchen remodel idea is to install tall cabinets. Having tall cabinets makes the room appear taller by drawing the eyes higher up. When you look up, the room around you feels taller and larger. Tall cabinets also give you more storage space because you can have more shelves to store plates, bowls, cups, and other kitchen items.

Keep Everything Organized

The simplest small kitchen trick, especially on a budget, is to keep everything organized. It’s beneficial if everything has a place near where it will be primarily used, so you aren’t going back and forth when you need something. If everything has a designated spot and you keep it there except when it’s in use, your kitchen will feel more open and less cluttered.

How can you make a small kitchen feel larger?

There are many ways to make a small kitchen feel larger. Adding mirrors, using light colors, especially white, glass door cabinets, and open shelving, can all make a small kitchen feel larger.

Which island design works the best for small kitchens?

If you have a small kitchen but want to include an island, you may want to get an island that provides storage space to maximize its utility.

How big does a kitchen need to be to have an island?

To have an island of usable size, at least four feet by two feet, your kitchen should be at least 150 square feet.

How can one maintain a very small kitchen beautifully?

The key to beautifully maintaining a small kitchen is to keep it organized. Use your space as efficiently as possible by maximizing your cabinet space, using organizers, and keeping items near where they will be used.

Can you put large tiles in a small kitchen?

Large tiles in a small kitchen actually help your kitchen feel larger and more spacious. Large tiles create a visual illusion that makes the room feel more stretched out, so you don’t feel like you are enclosed in a small space.

What is the best flooring for a small kitchen?

Tile is considered the best flooring for a small kitchen because it is easier to keep clean when kitchen messes are condensed into a smaller area.

Maximizing your small kitchen’s design is hard work; it offers challenges that larger kitchens don’t have. However, these small kitchen design tips can help you be on your way to making your dream small kitchen, in look and functionality, a reality. For more tips and tricks to make the most out of your kitchen keep following us at RTA Cabinets 365!